KEREM ERGENER
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About

Biography

Pronunciation
[kɛˈɹɛm ˌɛɹˈɡɛnɛɹ]
Katakana
ケレム・アーゲナー
Pronouns
He / Him
Languages
English · French · Turkish
Kerem Ergener

Kerem Ergener is an electronic music composer and multimedia artist known for his architectural approach to sound, melding minimal, glitch-driven electronics with spatial audio, light, and atmosphere to create immersive performances and installations. His artistic output and research interests focus on embodiment through sound and the phenomenology of atmosphere — shaping space and place by developing holophonic and immersive listening experiences through Wave Field Synthesis (WFS), and advancing the democratization of music-making through live coding.

He earned his undergraduate degree in Mechatronics Engineering at Bahçeşehir University, where he helped establish the BAU Stanford Robotics Research Project Laboratory and conducted research on advanced robotics applications. He continued his graduate education at Istanbul Technical University MIAM, receiving his Master of Arts in Sonic Arts. From 2019 to 2022 he lived in Bangkok, Thailand, where he served as a lecturer at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Institute of Music Science and Engineering.

He received his Ph.D. in Experimental Music and Digital Media at Louisiana State University, with a graduate minor in Architecture, studying electronic music and composition with Reuben de Lautour, Jeremy Woodruff, Brian Raphael Nabors, Jesse Allison, and Stephen David Beck. He founded the label Le Horla Records in 2016 to bring unheard avant-garde and experimental sounds to listeners, and has been featured on numerous compilations, including the Music from SEAMUS series, releasing solo work under his name and the pseudonym Le Horla. His works have been performed internationally in concerts and conferences, including Electric LaTex, SEAMUS, and the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC). He was honored with the American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for his visual work for David Walters' Makrológos.

Ergener serves as an Assistant Professor of Music Technology at Virginia Tech's School of Performing Arts. He is also active in academic service and community-building within experimental music and music technology. He chairs the Ethics Committee of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME), was a founding member of Algorave Louisiana and Istanbul Coding Ensemble, and was part of the Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana (LoLs) and Algorave Istanbul. His current research focuses on holophony, immersive audio, and the future of spatial audio experiences. His work with Wave Field Synthesis includes The AURA, a 192-channel WFS system designed and built with Jesse Allison, which became a foundational project in his investigation of communal, embodied, and architecturally informed listening. At Virginia Tech, Ergener continues to develop research and creative work at the intersection of sound, design, architecture, and technology, exploring how holophonic audio can reshape the way listeners experience space, atmosphere, and place.

FAQ

Q1What is the philosophy behind the work?+
Kerem's artistic philosophy revolves around the exploration of light, shadows, deconstruction, decay, the human condition, atmosphere, and loss. Rooted in both architecture and sonic arts, his works aim to create immersive experiences where the audience becomes part of the space. Using space as a vital element, he integrates light, fog, and sound to shape an evocative atmosphere. His practice involves live coding tools and electronic gear, reflecting a belief that technological limitations fuel creativity. Influenced by phenomenology and by thinkers such as Merleau-Ponty, Baudrillard, Derrida, Deleuze, and Guattari, his art leans toward minimalism in design, with an industrial and brutalist sonic palette.
Q2What is the relationship with architecture?+
Architecture, fashion, and design are Kerem's biggest hobbies and influences in life, which led to his graduate minor in architecture under Dr. Paul Holmquist. His PhD research centers on the phenomenology of atmosphere and creating immersive architectural spaces through sonic means. His installation work is often categorized as architectural installations on space, atmosphere, and sound spatialization.
Q3What are the artistic influences?+
His approach is inspired by industrial groups like Throbbing Gristle and Einstürzende Neubauten, electronic artists like Carsten Nicolai (Alva Noto) and Mika Vainio (Pan Sonic), and composers like Morton Feldman and Julius Eastman, following labels such as Raster-Noton, Mille Plateaux, Trente Oiseaux, and Sub Rosa. He sees design as the core of life: favourite designers and architects include Dieter Rams, Mies van der Rohe, Carlo Scarpa, Peter Zumthor, Tadao Ando, Kazuyo Sejima, Richard Serra, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Herzog & de Meuron; in fashion, Alexander McQueen, Rei Kawakubo, Jun Takahashi, Hussein Chalayan, and Martin Margiela. As a film lover he is drawn to Tarkovsky, Ozu, von Trier, Gaspar Noé, and Wong Kar-wai.
Q4What is the area of research?+
He is currently focused on code-based music-making applications and the democratization of music creation. He believes different applications of coding-based music make music more accessible and equal worldwide. His graduate research topic is sound installations, the concept of space, the phenomenology of atmospheres, and wavefield synthesis (WFS). He works under two grants (the LA Board of Regents Enhancement Grant and the LSU Provost Big Idea Grant) to design a 192-channel WFS system called The AURA and to develop miniaturized, high-resolution applications of WFS technology. His academic interest is in the study of electronic music, with a background in musicology, ethnomusicology, and music technology. He studied music across different genres under this umbrella, from hip-hop to avant-garde, and published many papers on these topics.
Q5How can I perform one of the works?+
In the Works catalog you can find the piece you're interested in and request the score, including parts for multiple performers where needed. Electronic parts are available upon purchase, and a technical rider is provided with each score. Some pieces may require a sound engineer experienced in electroacoustic music.
Q6How should I approach Kerem's music if I don't have any prior knowledge of it?+
You don't need any prior knowledge to approach Kerem's music. The program notes and metadata are provided in the catalog as a helpful guideline. Kerem's work is an embodied experience. This means it is best enjoyed in a concert hall (especially multichannel works) or with a good sound system with subwoofers due to the low-frequency content of most works. The stereo renderings of fixed-media pieces are released as compilations under the Selected Lost Works series every few years.
Q7What should I listen to first?+
It depends on what you are looking for! If you want to dive into electronic works, check out Kerem's first album Ajirak, released under the pseudonym Le Horla. It is a critically acclaimed 35-minute ambient/noise work that gives you the best idea of his sonic world. If you want to check out his electroacoustic work, In Praise of Shadows is the way to go! This piece was performed worldwide and selected for SEAMUS CD Vol. 34. If you are craving something more beat-based, check out the 1/5 performance where Kerem and jazz trumpeter Kasey Ball create a fusion of jazz and electronics on stage.

Professional Experience

2026 —

Assistant Professor of Music Technology

Virginia Tech, School of Performing Arts — incoming Fall 2026

2022 — 26

Graduate Assistant

Louisiana State University

2019 — 22

Tenure-Track Lecturer

King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Institute of Music Science and Engineering, Bangkok

2016 —

Founder & Head of Production

Le Horla Records, Istanbul

Education

2022 — 26

Ph.D. — Experimental Music & Digital Media (Major), Architecture (Minor)

Louisiana State University, USA

2016 — 19

M.A. — Music / Sonic Arts

Istanbul Technical University, MIAM, Turkey

2011 — 15

B.Sc. — Mechatronics Engineering

Bahçeşehir University, Turkey

2006 — 11

Baccalauréat — Scientific Track

Izmir Saint Joseph French High School, Turkey

Teaching

2026 —

Virginia Tech, School of Performing Arts

Building the music technology curriculum

  • MUS2014 - AI in Music
  • MUS3064 - Digital Sound Manipulation
2022 — 26

Louisiana State University

  • Intro to Computer Music
  • Music Technology
  • EMDM Ensemble — Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana (LoLs)
2019 — 22

King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Institute of Music Science and Engineering

  • Multimedia Engineering
  • Sound for Games
  • Computer-Assisted Composition
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Selected Topics in Music Engineering & Multimedia
  • Electronic Music History

Testimonials

“The swelling tones and glitchy textures were layered with the voices to create a unique sound not often heard in choral concerts. Kerem is a true artist — amazed at how he manipulated the sounds of the choir while playing them back live on stage, seconds after recording them.”

Dr. David Walters — Composer

“Kerem's music is always entertaining, but beyond that he has a wonderful ability to collaborate with other musicians, playing to their strengths while always maintaining his own distinctive voice.”

Dr. Treya Nash — Composer

“A force to be reckoned with in the electronic music space. His creations come from a place of deep technical knowledge, but his performance aesthetic shows a vulnerable earthiness akin to an intimate DJ set.”

Kasey Ball — Jazz trumpeter

“I came away more impressed than a lot of the ambient releases I've heard this year. I highly anticipate whatever direction Le Horla goes in next.”

Ajirak review — RYM

“Sonicscapes that span both the dimensions of space and culture.”

Conrad Foreman — Composer